Vegetation on Marine Drive

In September, October and November 2015, the City will continue work on the reconstruction of the retaining wall and vegetation removal on the Marine Drive hillside. The City-contracted crews will remove shrubbery, invasive species and trees that have grown into the retaining wall and/or do not assist in slope stability. The City recognizes that this work will also impact view corridors.

The City will focus on the long-term management of the vegetation and this natural area to meet the aesthetic, habitat and visual quality objectives on the hillside. The City will hydro seed during the transition and native vegetation will be added in 2016. Native vegetation could include willow, thimbleberry or snowberry plants.

We appreciate your patience on the appearance as we go through this transition.

Landscape Plan

The City is determining physical features and slope to prepare an accurate landscape plan. Landscape plans will be made available to the public as soon as they are prepared.

The vegetation work was approved in the 2015-2019 Financial Plan (PDF). Please view page two under "Marine Drive Hump Slope Stabilization and Vegetation Replacement".

Engineering Reports

In 2012, 2011 and 1994 the City commissioned geotechnical engineering reports on the condition of the retaining walls and the stability of the slope. The reports recommended to immediately replace the wooden retaining walls and to assess the condition of and possibly replace the metal retaining walls. The brush was so thick that engineers could not gain access to visually inspect the walls and needed to be scaled back to do a full assessment.

Tree removals included trees that have grown into the retaining wall and could lead to failure of the retaining wall that supports the road. Other tree removals were to accommodate the upcoming capital project.

Memos

There are two technical memos from the geotechnical firm that supported the removal of additional trees.